Magnetic tape data storage is a system for storing digital information on magnetic tape using digital recording. Magnetic tape is most commonly packaged in cartridges and cassettes. The device that performs writing or reading of data is a tape drive. Autoloaders and tape libraries automate cartridge handling. For example, a common cassette-based format is Linear Tape-Open, which comes in a variety of densities and is manufactured by several companies.
Manufacturing tape storage data cartridges includes cutting a master tape into tape sections, writing servo tracks on the tape sections, and spooling the tape sections into tape cartridges. The process of cutting the master tape into tape sections, during the manufacturing of tape storage data cartridges, generates debris onto the tape sections which may affect the longevity of the tape sections.
The approaches described in this section are approaches that could be pursued, but not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section.